Set in Jerusalem, the novel opens just after archaeologist Ella Miller asks her husband, her former mentor, to leave. When her decision is met with condemnation by friends and family, she plunges into depression and anxiety over how their six-year-old son will cope. With dense, beautiful prose, Shalev chips away at Ella's past, digging up resentments and disappointments, and presenting them sliver by sliver. Although Ella observes her son with touching detail, her focus is ultimately inward, making her a hard character to like. When she becomes involved with a lover, for instance, her self-absorption keeps her from recognizing the patterns she's repeating. Ella is known for drawing unsubstantiated parallels between the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and the flight from a major volcanic eruption on the Greek island of Thera (now Santorini); she believes societies glorify their histories, creating art and myth from disaster, leaving the reader to hope that this lovely, troubled woman will someday be able to do the same for herself

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6.012 Patron-Generated Content

04/27/2011

The Library offers various venues in which patrons can contribute content that is accessible to the public. These include, but are not limited to, blogs, reviews, forums, and social tagging on the Library’s website and catalog. Any instance in which a patron posts written or recorded content to any of the Library’s venues that are accessible to the public is considered “patron-generated content” and is subject to this policy.

By contributing patron-generated content, patrons grant the Library an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual right and license to use, copy, modify, display, archive, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works based upon that content.

By submitting patron-generated content, patrons warrant they are the sole authors or that they have obtained all necessary permission associated with copyrights and trademarks to submit such content.

Patrons are liable for the opinions expressed and the accuracy of the information contained in the content they submit. The Library assumes no responsibility for such content.

The Library reserves the right not to post submitted content or to remove patron-generated content for any reason, including but not limited to:

content that is profane, obscene, or pornographic;

content that is abusive, discriminatory or hateful on account of race, national origin, religion, age, gender, disability, or sexual orientation;

content that contains threats, personal attacks, or harassment;

content that contains solicitations or advertisements;

content that is invasive of another person’s privacy;

content that is unrelated to the discussion or venue in which it is posted;

content that is in violation of the Library’s Code of Conduct or any other Library policy